Author

Award Date

Degree Type

Degree Name

Department

First Committee Member

Michelle Tannock

Second Committee Member

Susan Miller

Third Committee Member

Catherine Lyons

Fourth Committee Member

Richard D. Tandy

Number of Pages

127

Abstract

Literacy coaching has gained prominence during the past decade as a professional development strategy for changing teacher practices. The purpose of this study was to identify whether a coaching intervention increased teacher's level of implementation of five targeted literacy instructional practices. Additionally, the researcher sought to determine if there was a relationship between teacher's stages of concern and their level of implementation of literacy instructional practices. Teachers participated in a six-week literacy coaching intervention. The study was a pre-post intervention group mixed methods design with both quantitative and qualitative measures. The participants of the study included eight preschool teachers and one literacy coach. Data sources included an online Stages of Concern questionnaire that teachers completed at the beginning and at the end of the study. Researcher assessed teacher's implementation of five targeted literacy practices (Phonological Awareness, Reading, Vocabulary, Writing, and Oral Language/Extended Conversations) during classroom observations with a Teacher Implementation Rubric. Additionally, interviews were conducted with the teachers and literacy coach. Results of the data indicated a statistically significant change in teacher's implementation of literacy instructional practices. The teachers improved on their overall implementation of five targeted literacy practices. There were also statistically significant differences at two of the teacher's stages of concern. Stage 3 (Management) decreased and Stage 6 (Refocusing) increased in overall concern. This study has implications for early childhood literacy coaching and the implementation of literacy instructional practices.